We'll have our own Burger War (see-a smilie. I don't really want to have a "war") at Gahanna Grill come August. I'm counting the days.

Buddy

Oh, it is just that the first one had lettice, and I don't know what else besides the grilled onions, and the other one had pickles and something I did not recognize. I want just grilled onions on mine, and I can't stand lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc. on my burgers.

I thought the first hamburgers came from Louis Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut in 1900.

A point of contention that exists to this very day. I see the Gahanna Grill Beanie Burger has mayo on it. That is a rare condiment in these parts. I look forward to trying the Louis Lunch grilled beef on toast someday.

From Seymour's webpage~Numerous communities from New Your to Texas claim to be the birthplace of the burger, but no one can supply any evidence dating back to 1885 like Seymour. Early newspaper articles, interviews with contemporaries and Charlie's daughter all verify the burger was served at the Seymour fair in 1885.That seems pretty conclusive to me.I'll grant Louis was serving something in 1900 but it wasn't the first hamburger.

Me, I don't really care. It's just a hamburger.Charlie served his hamburger on bread with onions; Louis served his vertically grilled beef on toast. Who put it on a bun? I like mine on a seeded bun, preferably lightly grilled, smothered with grilled onions, dill pickle on the side and often with American cheese. I'll vary it, but that is what I enjoy most often. Like Carolina Bob's tomato phobia, you can keep the lettuce although I'll eat it if that's the way it is served.

I'm a fan of mayonnaise on a burger -- mustard and relish, too. I never cared for the hamburgers at Louis Lunch. I'd always get a steak sandwich there, but just checking their menu it appears they no longer serve them.

You guys are great! Thanks to X1 for sharing the Food Wars information here.

Pretty much all of you have it right. Dave Sobelman called me, challenged me to a food war and asked if I could try to get the show's attention to shoot in Milwaukee. We figured, good for Milwaukee for sure and good for our businesses absolutely. The show worked with us to create a battle around the concept of the "milwaukee" burger. It's all in fun, and for television, no doubt about that. Hope to see you all there.

I agree that focus on a more "typically Milwaukee" dish would make for a more credible rivalry, but perhaps hamburgers have higher ratings potential than bureks or fish fries.

In any case, it's not like hamburgers are inappropriate for Milwaukee--this is the Beef Belt, after all, and Wisconsinites do lay claim to the Butterburger.

And rivalries--well, they come and go. Why not a rivalry between a well-established burger joint (Sobelman's) and a newcomer (AJ Bombers)? Even if the rivalry is highly manufactured (the "duping") and lacks a grass-roots base ("authenticity"), it could be seen as a tale of two Milwaukees (the old and the new: the industrial Menominee Valley vs. vibrant Water St.). If this helps market Milwaukee as a "hamburger city," that could benefit old-school places like Solly's, Mazo's, Kopp's, the Nite Owl.... But still, I'm sure some bona-fide, well-established rivalries have origins that could be considered "manufactured" in some way.

The least appealing ingredient on a Beanie Burger is the dollop of cole slaw on top. Not because the cole slaw is all that objectionable, but because they serve a dish of cole slaw on the side as well. I like cole slaw, but enough is enough. The next time I go to Gahanna Grill, I will be getting something other than the Beanie Burger. They got a burger there with melted Swiss and grilled onions that I have my eye on. I know Michael likes his burgers in a more basic mode.

I agree that focus on a more "typically Milwaukee" dish would make for a more credible rivalry, but perhaps hamburgers have higher ratings potential than bureks or fish fries.

In any case, it's not like hamburgers are inappropriate for Milwaukee--this is the Beef Belt, after all, and Wisconsinites do lay claim to the Butterburger.

And rivalries--well, they come and go. Why not a rivalry between a well-established burger joint (Sobelman's) and a newcomer (AJ Bombers)? Even if the rivalry is highly manufactured (the "duping") and lacks a grass-roots base ("authenticity"), it could be seen as a tale of two Milwaukees (the old and the new: the industrial Menominee Valley vs. vibrant Water St.). If this helps market Milwaukee as a "hamburger city," that could benefit old-school places like Solly's, Mazo's, Kopp's, the Nite Owl.... But still, I'm sure some bona-fide, well-established rivalries have origins that could be considered "manufactured" in some way.

IMHO the above is the best laid out post of this entire thread. I want to be quijote when I grow up.

Thanks also to AJBombers for chiming in.

joerongo Nah, just wanted you to see how ignorant and foolish your posts look.

joerongo, you are getting really nasty here. Over a TV show? About burgers? Seriously? I know we take food seriously here at roodfood.com, but jeez.

I agree that focus on a more "typically Milwaukee" dish would make for a more credible rivalry, but perhaps hamburgers have higher ratings potential than bureks or fish fries.

In any case, it's not like hamburgers are inappropriate for Milwaukee--this is the Beef Belt, after all, and Wisconsinites do lay claim to the Butterburger.

And rivalries--well, they come and go. Why not a rivalry between a well-established burger joint (Sobelman's) and a newcomer (AJ Bombers)? Even if the rivalry is highly manufactured (the "duping") and lacks a grass-roots base ("authenticity"), it could be seen as a tale of two Milwaukees (the old and the new: the industrial Menominee Valley vs. vibrant Water St.). If this helps market Milwaukee as a "hamburger city," that could benefit old-school places like Solly's, Mazo's, Kopp's, the Nite Owl.... But still, I'm sure some bona-fide, well-established rivalries have origins that could be considered "manufactured" in some way.

XI, At least I know why you are acting like such a jerk over a simple comment I made to Brad. You got a horse in this race! All of a sudden Joe Bomber shows up? Friend? Relative? Although, I am sure he doesn't need your rants to justify his business.

Your tirades are as I said, ignorant and foolish. That's not nasty, just the truth.

While I've met Joe, he's not a friend (not that he's NOT a friend..but I don't know him well enough, having only met him once and said "hi" to him one other time), nor is he a relative. I've been to AJ Bombers twice, exactly the same amount of times I've been to Sobleman's.

Joe is a social media maven. If his restaurants (he has more than AJ Bombers) are mentioned, in print or on the net, he knows about it. He might have googled and this thread showed up, or whatever. I didn't tell him to come here. I'm not even sure he's ever heard of Roadfood.com before coming to this thread. He'd have to come back and answer those questions himself, though.

I don't rant, nor tirade; I respond. And as far as your "simple comment", you took my original explanation and interpreted it as a war or whatever, when it was simply an explanation. After that, you just got nastier, and I responded in kind, as it's what you seem to understand best.

I'm at a loss as to why you remain in this thread, if you find the whole "duped" business, as well as Milwaukee, hamburgers and whatever else you have a problem with, so appalling. There are a thousand other threads where you can spout your opinions to the approval you crave.

I originally posted this thread because I was excited for Milwaukee, for AJ Bombers and for Sobleman's, that Travel Channel was coming here. Milwaukee needs the good publicity; the boost. And it's all in fun.

I hope everybody knows that there are services out there that scan for mentions on the web of a business. Its part of the cost of doing business these days. We have no way of knowing if the owner of AJ Bombers is a long time reader, got a call from a friend, or employs a service. Anyway, he sounds like an interesting person and I hope he will also become a regular poster.

Hey guys, It was Google Alerts of AJ Bombers that brought me to this thread. yup, I know X1 and a few others here. Happy just to see the interest in the event. But I have been here before and will likely be back again, now that I am no longer just a lurker.

Yeah, they come up with a concept to sell to a network. And its good that they provide a little diversion, get the businesses a little exposure , the area gets shown a little on tv and the producers make some money. Like you said, its television.

I had the exact same reaction when this thread started. As it progressed, and it became evident that the whole "feud" was manufactured by the parties involved, it became obvious why Fred's was not chosen.

On the other hand, I've been to Sobelman's and have to say, they have a darned good Burger. Several of the Milwaukee members of The Contingent have been to AJ Bombers and reported back on it very positively. So, you've got two very good burgers in one great city deserving of some attention, who care if the whole thing is made up? It's freakin' TV! And it's not the Nightly News. Like it or not, entertainment value is more important than 100% truth and honesty on this type of show.

AJ Bombers (Joe) and Sobelman's (Dave) have been all over TV news shows and in the newspaper as the competition draws near. It's really fun to see all the interaction between the two, and the excitement of the people of Milwaukee, both in person and on Twitter and Facebook. Filming starts tomorrow! It's free to come watch, so if you're in the area - stop by! I posted a link to the filming schedule in a previous post.

Warring or not, I think it's great PR for the city. X1, I think that some of the perceived rivalries stem from writers (like me, admittedly) saying that one [insert food item here] is better than another. I get vibes from people thinking, "What does he know? He's from New England and comes to our town, eats one meal at places A and B, and declares that A is the best." Guilty as charged! Chris